The Concept of the Qur'anic Text According to Mohammed Arkoun (A Methodological Reading)

Abstract

    This study explores the problem of reading the Qur'anic text through modern methodologies, influenced by the Western experience with sacred texts. It focuses on the project of Mohammed Arkoun as a representative model of this approach, analyzing his conception of the Qur'anic text, his interpretive methods, and the impact of his ideas on contemporary thought. Arkoun views the Qur'an as passing through four stages: from the Preserved Tablet, to the oral discourse, then to its compilation in the “Mushaf,” and finally to classical interpretation. He emphasizes the Qur'an’s original oral nature and questions the completeness of the written text due to the political context of its compilation. Arkoun uses terms such as “textual corpus” and “closed official codex” instead of “the Holy Qur'an,” arguing that the process of writing involved omission, selection, and political influence. Hence, he calls for a critical historical re-evaluation and adopts the term “Qur'anic phenomenon” to study the text apart from its theological sanctity.